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How To: Straight Talk and Android - SIM Swap from Nokia Smartphone

Ok..apparently there are still a few people confused on how to make this work. and a few more that are too lazy to use the search function on HoFo. We don't mind answering questions, but we get tired of repeating ourselves.

Please realize that unlike the iPhone many Androids vary slightly from phone to phone as they are made by many different manufacturers. That is the reason I don't have an xml file listed for an easy install of the APNs. The field positions and names of those fields sometimes change slightly from phone to phone.

If you want to be able to tether and your phone doesn't already have that option or your phones service provider has that option locked out then I suggest you check out the XDA developers site and search their forums for information about rooting, sideloading, and installing custom ROMs. This isn't the correct website for that and those guys are very knowledgeable. Save yourself some grief though. They can be less patient on that site about people asking questions without doing their own research than we are, but they literally wrote the book on how to do this. Some phones will be easier to root, some not. Some do not have rooting available. Tethering and using some of the better backup apps is pretty much the main reason some of the more novice users root. There's more technical stuff that can be done, but I don't want to bore you and that isn't the point of this thread.

The unlocking of a cell phone is not necessary to use it with a Straight Talk SIM so long as it is an AT&T phone. T-Mobile phones will need to be unlocked(sometimes rooting your phone will unlock it like my Inspire, sometimes an app will do it like the Samsung Captivate, and sometimes hiring a service is the only way.....do your own research), but you will not have 3G capability on them because Straight Talk uses AT&T's network for the Nokia E71 and the Nokia 6790(these are the ONLY phones that have a usable SIM for this). T-Mobile uses a different 3G frequency and that CANNOT be changed.....you will be stuck with Edge.....or 1G....or whatever you want to call it.....and it's slow, but it will work.

This is information that was collected by a few members of HoFo.....not the least of which was Mr. Boomy(thanks man....). I take no credit.

First thing you have to do is purchase a Nokia E71 or Nokia 6790 from Straight Talk and activate it. Then get the Android phone of your choice(this method should work on all Android devices 2.1 and up...not sure on the older ones). Take the SIM card out of the E71 and put it in the Android phone.

Hook the phone up to a WiFi connection. Set up a google account on the phone if you haven't already. Go to your market. Download APN Backup And Restore. Use that app to backup the existing APN addresses to your SD card(in the event you need to restore it later if you decide to sell the phone). Then delete the APNs(they can interfere with your new ST APN).

Go to Settings>Wireless & Networks>Mobile Networks>Access Point Names.....press the menu button on your home row(the appearance and position may vary depending on the phone...consult the user's manual if it's not obvious). You should now have the option to create a new APN.

Fill in the following fields(note that this info creates TWO APNs). Do not change the defaults in the other fields.

One additional note: For those wondering about the voicemail speed dial. Here's how I set it up on my Inspire. Go to Settings>Call>Voicemail Settings and tap on Voicemail Number. You should have the option to type in a new number. Type in your ten digit phone number and save. Done. This may vary slightly depending on the phone.

Last of all....don't abuse your data usage. If you read the fine print in your Straight Talk ToS you will find there are limits to their "unlimited" service. Streaming Netflix and Pandora as well as tethering alot can sky rocket the amount of data usage. They never have given an exact amount as a limit, but they can, will, and have cut off peoples data or even their service all together. Most of the cases where we have had people post that they cut off was when they did something stupid like streaming a ton of video....that's enough to get you cut off or throttled on a lot of carriers. Use common sense. Use WiFi when possible and don't treat your phones internet as you would your home internet connection. Some people use 2GB a month as their limit....the amount may be higher, but try not to test it too much. There are data usage counters in the Market. If you get your data cut off tell customer service you were streaming YouTube on your E71, don't mention your Android phone. Most have managed to get their service back on after that. And only call customer service with the ST phone, they can see your IMEI number and will know you're using another phone otherwise. If you're just adding a refill card don't worry about it.

Oh yeah. Recently a couple of people got cut off for making international calls. Don't do it...not even to Canada. Straight Talk has international packages available.....look into it on their website.

You're welcome.... Sorry I can't help with the other phones. Figured I'd stick to what I know.

If others have suggestions or whatever let me know and I'll edit my original post accordingly. I made sure to tag this with "Straight Talk, Android, APN" so it should pop up in the search function when people go to look for it.

I didn't even reboot my phone the last time. As SOON as I restored the APNs it connected and worked. Got a little over confident overclocking my phone and fried my rom. It was randomly doing weird crap and locking up. Full restore with Titanium Backup Pro and life is good!

Last edited by MrBooMY; 06-14-2011 at 11:45 AM.
Reason: Smoke another bowl!

I didn't even reboot my phone the last time. As SOON as I restored the APNs it connected and worked. Got a little over confident overclocking my phone and fried my rom. It was randomly doing weird crap and locking up. Full restore with Titanium Backup Pro and life is good!

Rebooting was just a precaution I added. I've heard of some people having trouble with the settings until they did that.

I try not to overclock. My Inspire would be a bit expensive to replace....lol. I tend to do Nandroid backups through Clockworkmod.

I had a Captivate before I got my Inspire. Great phone. I just liked some of the features on this phone better. HTC widgets and plus it has a flash. I want the Samsung Infuse 4G next. Front-facing camera, awesome screen, and better battery life.

Hopefully this is pretty self-explanatory, but you never know. I once sold a rooted Inspire with CM7 on eBay to some lady. She could not get a signal at all. I talked with her on the phone and tried to help, but ended up having to refund the money and get the phone shipped back to me. Know what the problem was? She was putting her SIM card in upside down. People can be really dumb sometimes. I mean, there is picture embossed into the casing showing the proper way to put it in......geez....really? Read ALL of the directions....a few times....then try it....please pay attention and this will work.

anybody get a new infuse and test to see if it gets the faster internet speeds on straight talk

I can confirm it works, HOWEVER, combine the 2 APNs into 1. The poster must have an HTC, because the HTC requires 2 APNs (MMS + Internet), however on the Samsung Infuse 4G if you add 2 apns, you'll lose your internet connection each time the phone sends or receives an MMS... so just use 1 APN and the phone will use it for both MMS and internet, and you won't have to reset your internet connection after each pic message. This is covered in many online forums, so just search if you need more clarification.

I can confirm it works, HOWEVER, combine the 2 APNs into 1. The poster must have an HTC, because the HTC requires 2 APNs (MMS + Internet), however on the Samsung Infuse 4G if you add 2 apns, you'll lose your internet connection each time the phone sends or receives an MMS... so just use 1 APN and the phone will use it for both MMS and internet, and you won't have to reset your internet connection after each pic message. This is covered in many online forums, so just search if you need more clarification.

He's not asking for help with the Infuse...he's just wondering if anyone else has it on Straight Talk and what the speeds are. As far as the APNs......You're right that I have an HTC, but if you look you'll see that I had posted the one APN configuration as well......I used to have a Captivate.

He's not asking for help with the Infuse...he's just wondering if anyone else has it on Straight Talk and what the speeds are. As far as the APNs......You're right that I have an HTC, but if you look you'll see that I had posted the one APN configuration as well......I used to have a Captivate.

Sent from my Straight Talk HTC Inspire using the Howard Forums app

Understood, I was just posting it as many people w\ Samsungs have had issues like what I wrote, so I wanted to clarify because of the "everything you need to know" is vague for most devices, whereas Sammy phones are a bit odd.